


The Big Brother Thing

by fishfingersandjellybabies



Series: The Brood AU [5]
Category: Batman (Comics), Superman (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-10
Updated: 2016-10-10
Packaged: 2018-08-21 18:48:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8256550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishfingersandjellybabies/pseuds/fishfingersandjellybabies
Summary: Their job is to comfort the younger ones, even when they aren’t so sure about it themselves. It’s practically in the job description.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Jon flew home from Metropolis early, which he is NOT SUPPOSED TO DO. When I say under the barn, I mean where Clark hides all his Kryptonian stuff. Cass is still with Lois, and I dunno where Clark is haha. Dick probably told Jon and Damian basically the same as Jason said. Jon also probably threatened to beat up Bruce if he tried to take them away, because he’s a cutie.

Jason sighed, shoving the car’s gear into park.

“Game plan?” He asked, glancing over at Dick, whose face was stoic and blank.

“You think we need one?”

“Ten bucks the babies are hiding here somewhere, too.” Jason hummed. “And you know no one can calm Lois down about Jon disappearing back to the farm better than you. Not to mention, you’re still Damian’s favorite, so.”

“So…I take Jon and Damian, and you’ll stay here to deal with Tim and Kon?” Dick nodded towards the two on the porch. “Is that what you’re saying?”

“Well, we can’t both deal with one pair and then go to the other. It might turn into that fight about favoritism again, and with Bruce showing up in a couple days…” Jason trailed off, and Dick looked over at him. “Well, I’m sure you get where I’m going.”

“…Maybe you and I should talk about it first, before we talk to the kids.” Dick suggested.

“Like, I said. You’re _Damian’s_ favorite, not mine, Dickie.” Jason smirked as he threw the car door open. “Meet up in an hour for some Ziggie’s burgers?”

“Last group to the car has to pay.” Dick grinned himself, getting out of the car a little slower. Jason was already moving towards the porch, and had already been seen by the teenagers sitting there.

“Where are the babies?” He called.

Conner nodded to the side. “Under the barn.”

“Of course. Somewhere weird.” Jason rolled his eyes. He looked back at Dick, but Dick had already altered his path. “You’re up, Dickie.”

Dick waved him off, and Jason chuckled, as he reached the porch steps, and plopped down at the feet of his brothers.

“So.” He drawled, looking up, pausing first on Tim’s face, then on Conner’s, and back again. “Talk to me nerds.”

Conner frowned. “Why do you think there’s something to talk about?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe because our _real_ dad’s coming back from the figurative dead in a few days and you’re afraid of losing your favorite brother?” Jason smirked at Conner’s near-immediate pout.

“Jason, knock it off.” Tim mumbled, curling his knees up from the step onto the porch he and Conner sat on. “It’s just…weird, okay?”

“You act like I don’t feel the exact damn same.” Jason returned, still a bit harsh, but mostly gentle. “Weird how, for you?”

“…We thought he was dead, Jay.” Tim whispered. “Every single one of us, from Clark and Lois to _Jon_ thought Bruce was dead. We accepted that a long time ago.”

“So now,” Conner cut in. “It’s like a dead person is coming back to life…and that’s not normal.”

“Not necessarily. I mean, look at the life Dad leads. And the Justice League.” Jason tried. “A couple of them have died and come back.”

“This is different.” Tim countered. “I…I don’t know why, it just is.”

“What’s he gonna do, you think?” Conner cut in, before Jason could continue. “I mean. Ten years is a long time. You and Dick are adults and living on your own. Cassie, Tim and me are almost there, so…”

“Do you think he’s going to try to take Damian from Clark?” Tim barely breathed. “I mean. Yeah, he’d have every right. Damian’s his, wholly and completely. But Clark’s the only dad he knows. The farm is the only _home_ he knows.”

“Not to mention I don’t think Jon would take well to any of this.” Conner added. “Damian’s his best friend, separating them might as well be like tearing his arm off.”

“Well, I guess it’s a possibility.” Jason hummed. “But you two’re actin’ like Clark and Bruce aren’t going to _talk_ about this. That Bruce is just going to swoop in, grab us kids and swoop back out.”

“…Well.” Conner returned. “He _is_ Batman.”

Jason could only roll his eyes, before Tim continued on.

“And Jason. You and Dick always said Clark and Bruce were a thing once.” Tim reminded. “But you never said if they ended amicably, or badly, or…or…or even _ended_ at all!”

“So, is that something else we need to look for?” Conner picked up. “Is Clark going to be upset about meeting up again with Bruce? Is Bruce going to be a dick to him? Are we going to have to hide the kiddos because those two might make out on the spot?” Jason immediately snorted. “So, now you see why we’re worried.”

“Things to _talk_ about, sure.” Jason shot back, gently. “But _worry_ about? Nah.”

Tim and Conner looked at each other.

“Look. It’s going to be weird. I agree with you on that.” Jason tried. “But think about it. Us seven kids, Clark, Lois. Gram, Gramps. That’s eleven people against one man. And Clark’s goddamn _Superman_ , so that counts as like, ten dudes, and Conner, you’re worth like five, and Jon’s worth maybe a half, _so twenty-six and a half_ people against one man.” Both Conner and Tim smirked at that. “So really. I doubt Bruce is going to _make_ anyone do anything they don’t want to do.”

Tim and Conner looked at their feet.

“…What if we don’t like him?” Tim asked. “I mean, everything we’ve been told – it’s like we’re _supposed_ to. And what if we _don’t_?”

“Then you don’t.” Jason shrugged. “I mean, again, he’s Batman. He beats people up for a living. He knows not everyone’s going to like him. Hell, not even everyone likes Clark and he’s the nicest guy anyone’s ever met – and he _knows_ that. They’re adults, guys. They know this.”

“But we’re his kids.” Tim countered. “And even if he doesn’t see Jon and Kon as his kids, they’re _our_ best friends. He’s gonna want them to like him too.”

“Eventually, yes.” Jason repeated. “God, you guys are looking at this like it’s high school.”

The teenagers both just blinked.

“Bruce knows nothing is going to happen the day he comes back, okay? He knows all of this is going to take time. And he knows it’s going to be different timing for all of us.” Jason explained. “Hell, I don’t think you guys are even looking at Bruce’s perspective. He’s going to be scared too. It’s gonna take time for _him_ , too.”

Tim and Kon stayed quiet.

“Y’all are stressing over the wrong things.” Jason decided. “You’re worrying about the ifs, ands and buts. How about we just…meet the guy first. Because that’s all we’re doing this weekend. Just meeting him. Having a meal maybe.”

Still, nothing.

“…Okay, how about this.” Jason licked his lips, and sat up. “Any moment any of you guys are feeling uncomfortable, or stressed, or…just _wrong_ , you tell Dick or me, okay? We’ll get you out of there, or take care of it, or whatever. We’ll be your shields, or your spokesperson, or whatever you want to call it. Alright?”

Tim sighed, and hid his face against his knees with a growl. “This is just so _stressful_.”

“I know, drama queen, I know.” Jason laughed, rubbing Tim’s hair. “But honestly? I’ve got a good feeling.”

“You also had a good feeling when you stole Gramps’ car when you were sixteen to go to that abandoned house on Halloween.” Kon reminded. “And then you crashed it into a tree out by the sheriff’s office.”

“I told you I went out there to save those black kittens before football players went out there to drown them, and I meant it. Or were there not six black kittens in the car with me when Sheriff Peters found me, hm?” Tim and Conner both laughed, and Jason smiled. “But really – I have an even _better_ feeling this time.”

He could feel the two younger calming slightly, and after a moment, Kon looked across the yard, towards the barn.

“What about you, Jay?” Kon hummed. Jason tilted his head. “Are _you_ excited to see him?”

“…Can’t say for sure, yet.” He sighed, twisting and leaning back against the steps as he looked across the fields. “He _did_ abandon us.”

“For good reason.” Tim defended.

“So Clark says.” Jason mumbled. “The only evidence we have that that’s true was that there was an article about Alfred being in the hospital the day we got here. Clark said he left us with him to keep us safe, but have we ever been attacked? Has any of us ever been threatened, outside the masks? Something’s kinda fishy to me.”

“…And you said _we_ were stressing about the wrong things.” Tim snorted. “I think that part’s all true. I think Bruce left to protect us.”

“For ten years?” Jason glanced back. “Ten years, and not even an email?” They all looked back across the yard when they heard the barn door slide open. Dick emerged with Jon in one arm, and Damian holding his other hand. “Forget about if he’ll like Jon and Kon or not, what if he didn’t even care about _us_ in the first place?”

Kon and Tim just looked at each other.

“But, like I said,” Jason inhaled, slapping his knees and standing, turning to look at them. “I have a good feeling. So et’s just meet the guy first, and go from there, okay?” Tim and Kon seemed to think about it, and Jason rolled his eyes. “Rhetorical question, really. Now, come on. We’re going to get some Ziggy’s.” He glanced back to the car, found Dick leaning smugly on the hood, Jon still perched on his hip as he watched them. “…And it looks like _we’re_ buying.”

Tim and Kon were immediately on their feet at the promise of burgers, and running towards the car, where Damian, balancing on the front passenger door, was calling shotgun. Jason watched them for a minute, as the younger all scrambled and jabbed at each other, like brothers do, and smiled. A second later, though, he let it drop, and looked back across the fields.

Ten years was a long time. Ten years of no communication. Ten years of missing every single milestone they ever had. Ten years of no real explanation.

He sighed, as Dick called his name. He knew Dick was reading his face. Knew his eldest brother would corner him later about this. Sniffed and stepped off towards the car, smiling as Dick dropped into the driver’s seat, and Damian moved to the middle of the front seat, pushing the front passenger door open for him to sit next to him.

…He just hoped meeting Bruce went as well as he just promised Tim and Conner it would.


End file.
